The Faint, the dark-wave dance project founded by brothers Todd Fink (frontman) and Clark Baechle (drums) 30 years ago, continues to impress! The Faint recently returned to 9:30 Club to play three new songs alongside their dance-punk classics in a concert full of irresistible post-punk grooves!
At 9:30 Club on Nov. 18, The Faint got the dancing started right away with some killer tunes from their 2001 seminal album, Danse Macabre. And let’s face it: All fans of The Faints from casual admirers to diehard followers want to hear selections from that record most of all. Todd and company lit a retro-flavored dance revolution that ignited with “Your Retro Career Melted” and “Let the Poison Spill from Your Throat” early in the evening.
Near the middle of the set, The Faint played “Isolation,” a new song that shares a name and nothing else with a Joy Division staple. Several songs later, the band introduced “Take Me to the Hospital.” And in the encore, they added “Projector Project!” to the show, capping three new songs from a presumedly upcoming album.
The Faint threw back to their most recent albums with a few scattered selections. Around the one-third mark of their performance, they rolled out “Young & Realistic,” the only track spotlighted from their last album, Egowerk (2019). The show included two tracks from 2014’s Doom Abuse — fan-favorite “Evil Voices” and the rarely performed “Lesson from the Darkness.” And The Faint nodded to Fasciinatiion (2008) with a rollicking rendition of setlist regular “The Geeks Were Right.”
Watch The Faint perform “The Geeks Were Right” live for Moschcam on YouTube:
On this and other numbers, Todd Fink really thew himself into the music. It’s clear that Todd makes music that he personally loves, which to me is the hallmark of a good band and a strong composer. With his hat and glasses, Todd struck me as a sage and priestly figure who might be more interested in chatting about organic farming than to moshing along to relentlessly awesome synth music. But there he was, dependably leading his band and his audience into a happily crazed danceathon. His brother Clark was a calmer presence who kept a steady hand on the indomitable beats that drove the music forward.
Let’s not forget The Faint today is not The Faint without the incredible presence of guitarist Dapose. As seen at 9:30 Club, Dapose with Todd was one half of a two-engine machine that gave the band a kinetic kick. Playing live seems incredibly personal to Dapose: He is getting more of it than anyone as if there were inner guitar demons that must escape and run rampant through his performance. He was totally absorbed by the music, making him Todd’s spiritual twin, and he played like a man who was both losing himself and completing an important mission.
Dapose joined The Faint during the 2001 production of Danse Macabre, and he was not only a defining element of the band’s sound, but he was an early champion of 21st century post-punk guitar sound before it truly caught fire. Hell, all of The Faint were leaders in incorporating fresh new wave and post-punk melodies into their music before it hit the zeitgeist, making them true originals.
Again, everyone clamored for those standout Danse Macabre tracks, and The Faint persisted in delivering satisfaction: They closed the main set with “Agenda Suicide,” still perhaps their best-known number, and wrapped their encore with “Glass Danse.” Todd and Dapose thrilled the audience by giving those numbers everything they had.
Watch the official music video for “Agenda Suicide” by The Faint on YouTube:
The Faint are a quartet, and so we would be remiss not to also salute Graham Ulicny, the capable keyboardist who joined in 2016, replacing the late Jacob Thiele. Graham was a welcome fresh face who consistently maintained the synthlines while Todd picked up his guitar or danced across the stage. The Faint recruited Graham from Athens, Ga.-based Reptar, and he has lent a modern, atmospheric touch to The Faint’s compositions. He was a perfect fit to the ensemble at 9:30 Club.
At 9:30 Club, Hercules & Love Affair opened the show with a six-song set that kicked off the dance party. Recruiting the trio to open was a clever pairing: Hercules & Love Affair’s nu disco was a wonderful contrast to The Faint’s dark-wave iteration of synthpop and yet both bands build strong dance tunes.
Andy Butler looked beyond excited to be there as his band is clearly entering a new phase. Hercules & Love Affair recently released “Someone Else Is Calling,” the title track of a new EP, and Icelandic singer Elín Ey (of Hips & Lips) performs on the track, which also was played live in the 9:30 Club set. Elín Ey fronts the Hercules & Love Affair trio on this tour, which also includes a live drummer as the third member of the band. At 9:30 Club, the band closed with “Blind,” Hercules & Love Affair’s most enduring song.
Watch the official music video for “Someone Else Is Calling” by Hercules & Love Affair featuring Hips & Lips on YouTube:
Here are some photos of The Faint performing live at 9:30 Club on Nov. 18, 2025. All pictures by Mickey McCarter.
Here are some photos of Hercules and Love Affair opening The Faint at 9:30 Club on Nov. 18, 2025. All pictures by Mickey McCarter.
